


you're bound (but so free)

by wastefulreverie



Series: DannyMay 2020 [3]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family, Fluff, Gen, Ghost King AU, Ghost King!Danny, Identity Reveal, Light Angst, Reveal, Wholesome, ghost king
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23921110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wastefulreverie/pseuds/wastefulreverie
Summary: Not long after the third anniversary of his death and the first anniversary of his coronation, Danny should have expected something to go wrong. It had been a while since something irreversibly life-altering had occurred and he was a fool for not seeing it coming.orDanny's parents learn that he's the Ghost King.
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Jack Fenton, Danny Fenton & Maddie Fenton
Series: DannyMay 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726687
Comments: 29
Kudos: 805
Collections: Phic Phight!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GothMoth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothMoth/gifts).



Not long after the third anniversary of his death and the first anniversary of his coronation, Danny should have expected something to go wrong. It had been a while since something irreversibly life-altering had occurred and he was a fool for not seeing it coming.

First, he'd been born into a family of ghost hunters—which was the least bizarre thing about him—and then another world had opened inside him, essentially half-killing him. Once he finally came to terms with the fact that he was the physical embodiment of Schrödinger's paradox, he accidentally stepped up as his town's superhero and started lying. He started lying _a lot_. Really, he couldn't remember a single day since his death he hadn't lied to someone. If they gave awards for lying Danny would certainly have an Emmy by now, but unfortunately, the closest thing to a 'lying award' was American politics. After a brief stint with his nemesis becoming mayor, Danny decided that he never wanted anything to do with the back-handed art of lawmaking ever again. Of course, fate would have it that thanks to his superhero career, he was suddenly next in line to be Ghost King! Just great. Fucking _wonderful_.

They forced him to attend etiquette lessons and galas to learn about ghost culture. They made him wear an awful fleece cape and the sacred Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire. Hell, he spent two weeks in the Ghost Zone's wilderness to 'prove his worth' as king and to placate his critics. If he were not bound to silence, he would tell his critics that they were more than correct doubting a half-human child to rule an entire dimension. He was only sixteen! He didn't _want_ absolute power and he knew next to nothing about strategy and courting and all the _Lord and Lady_ bullshit they expected of him. He just wanted to stay home for a night and play video games. Was that too much to ask?

Fortunately, after his coronation, much of the hype had died down. His overseers let him rule as he saw fit as long as he attended the bi-annual assembly in his palace, they let him off the hook. Still, Danny visited his palace about once a week just to make sure that things were running smoothly. He might hate his job, but he wouldn't let his personal distaste cloud his duty to the billions of denizens of the Ghost Zone. Besides, he had more time on his hands since he'd given up his superhero gig. Now that he had authority over all ghosts, he could command them to leave the human world alone. For a while, life was good!

He should've known that it was too good to last. All good things must eventually come to an end; that was a universal truth of life that even half-death couldn't liberate.

It happened on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. He had visited the Ghost Zone three days prior and last he heard everything had been in order. The turf war in the Medieval Realm was finally grinding to a halt and Danny's latest legislature to reduce lair seizures was panning out well. There was a royal ball scheduled for next month that Lady Feiyan requested he lent a hand in planning and the month after that he had an audience with the Observants. None of it was urgent whatsoever—nothing more than mundane affairs to attend to. He had more homework for Calculus that week than he had Ghost King duties!

There should have been no reason for the Fright Knight to appear in his kitchen, reading the latest report of happenings in the Greco-Roman Province. After all, all his staff knew not to approach him in the human world unless it was absolutely dire. Better yet, all his staff knew not to approach him as Danny Fenton under _any_ circumstances! The Fright Knight—Danny's direct advisor—should have known this more than anyone! Yet, as Danny tried to wave him down with a bag of potato chips and gesture with his eyes that he should leave, the Fright Knight remained ignorant to Danny's clear distress.

His parents were only four feet away, watching the bizarre encounter with what can only be described as a cross between bafflement and horror.

"—there is a crowd amassed in one of the central courtyards of New Athens and the local policing authority has requested the throne's assistance in driving them out, though it's highly questionable that we take any action considering that the crowd has not resorted to hostilities. In other news, Lady Pandora has sent you a letter with updates on the one called 'The Box Ghost' whom I understand is her latest apprentice. I have left it in your 'room of bed' along with a notice from Lady Feiyan that she expects you to review the list of guests before this Saturday, my King."

At the end of his tirade, the Fright Knight bowed his head in a flourish and waited for his King's dismissal. Danny tried, but the only sound he could utter was a soft choking noise that neither satisfied or alarmed the armor-clad ghost. He could feel his parents' eyes burning holes into his skin and he wanted nothing more than for this to be an extremely vivid nightmare. They had heard everything the Fright Knight said, even when he'd called Danny his King. Ancients, he was fucked. He was fucked a hundred times over—no, a thousand! There was no way he was getting out this without letting his secret out of the bag and—and—

He was hyperventilating now. He didn't need much to air breathe in the first place but that didn't make hyperventilation any more pleasant. He breathed and breathed and breathed and none of it made it to his lungs. Why wasn't there any air in his lungs? He was inhaling so much and it didn't make sense why his lungs couldn't hold onto all that air.

"Danny?"

He faintly registered his Mom stepping towards him, only for the Fright Knight to shove her back into the counter. Through his mantra of _breathe breathe breathe_ he realized that was a very bad thing. The Fright Knight had just manhandled his Mom like she was nothing more than a sack of potatoes. _His Mom._

"Sto—Stop!"

Bound to Danny's word, the Fright Knight ceased his aggression toward his parents and flew back to Danny. Dad helped Mom up from where she'd been knocked against the counter and promptly cocked an ectogun straight at the Fright Knight's head.

"Not another move, spook! How dare you lay hands on my wife!"

"She was approaching the King of Ghosts in his weakened state. I have no intention to harm humans unless they pose a threat to my Lord."

Danny choked back his rapid breaths and evened his intake of air. "Dad, I swear, I have no idea what he's talking about."

The lie rolled off his tongue so fast that he didn't even have to think about it. His parents seemed to take his word for it and turned back to the Fright Knight.

"Why do you think our son is your King?" Mom asked. "And what's all this talk about New Athens and Lady Feiyan?"

The Fright Knight's cape of flames dimmed for a moment. "I do not have to prove the authenticity of my claims to _humans_ , even if said humans are parents to the King. Though, if it would sate your curiosity I would simply ask my Lord himself."

"He's just a ghost trying to mess with you guys," Danny pleaded. "I don't know why, but you trust me, right?"

"Of course, son!"

"I don't know." Mom shook her head. "I mean, I trust you, sweetie. But what does this spook have to gain by calling you King?"

"I am sworn to the throne until the day my Lord perishes or until I fade into the nether myself!" the Fright Knight declared.

That… definitely wasn't helping. His parents looked even more suspicious now. He wished there was a way to indirectly send the Fright Knight back into the Ghost Zone but he would not obey anything less than a formal command.

"Maybe he just wants attention?" he suggested.

Dad knit his eyebrows. "Son, what aren't you telling us?"

"Nothing! Why are you guys suddenly accusing me of things just because a ghost says so? You never listen to ghosts!"

Most days Danny was crushed that they shot first and asked questions later. Today, things would be much less complicated if Dad had actually taken a shot at the Fright Knight rather than hearing him out first.

"This ghost had no reason to come into our kitchen," Mom pointed out. "If what he said is true, he serves you because you're a King. I hate to say that I'm buying into the words of a ghost, but so far it's the only explanation that makes a lick of sense. It's much too stupid to be a ploy—even for a thick-skulled ghost like him."

He scoffed. "I'm human! How the hell would I even become a King of Ghosts? This is just crazy! Are you hearing yourself?"

"It is kind of out there, Mads…"

"Whew! Thanks, Dad!"

"... but I think that you have a point."

_Shit._

Mom stepped forward and placed her hands on either of Danny's shoulders. Her steady indigo eyes met his own and he instantaneously felt his capacity to lie dissolve into nothing. He was vulnerable now. If she wanted, she could pry each and every little truth out of him like it was nothing. He shouldn't be afraid of his own mother, but her intimate gaze scared him shitless.

"Tell us the truth, Danny."

After three years of lying, what was he supposed to say? That he'd die and that she'd never noticed? That he'd become a superhero and that she'd believed him when he'd said that the bruises were from stray doorknobs and table corners? That he'd inadvertently been sucked into a world of royalty and couldn't escape it if he'd tried? That the reason he lied so much was because he was scared of what she would do once she knew? That the weapons mounted on the basement walls sent chills up his arms because he knew that one day he could be on the other side of the barrel? That he couldn't remember what it was like to be wholly human anymore and that one day he anticipated becoming a full ghost, forever?

"It's true," he whispered. "It's all true."

She brushed a strand of hair from his face with a frown. "That's what I thought."

"You're really the Ghost King?" Dad asked.

"I never wanted to be."

"Then how…?"

He gulped. "It's a long story."

"How about we sit down, then?" Mom suggested.

He must have nodded because his parents started walking toward the living room. When Danny stepped forward, he realized that the Fright Knight was still idly suspended beside him, patient. Unsure how to go about matters, Danny cleared his throat. "Um, you can leave now."

The Fright Knight bowed. "As you wish, my King."

They didn't say anything, but his parents visibly became less tense when the knight vanished in a gale of violet flames. Once he'd settled in the loveseat opposite the couch, Mom broke the ice.

"So… the Ghost King. That's you?"

He tried not to wince. "Yep."

"And that knight ghost serves you?"

"Unfortunately."

"How did you manage it, Danno?" Dad implored softly. "And why haven't you told us?"

"I, uh, didn't really know how to say it. I just felt like… if I didn't talk about it or told anyone, that I could still pretend like everything was normal. That _I'm_ still normal, even though I'm not."

"Sweetie, you didn't have to pretend for us. We'll treat you the same no matter whether you're the Ghost King or not."

"Good to know..."

If only that was the half of it. Accepting that Danny was the Ghost King was the easy bit. Accepting that he _was_ a ghost would be more difficult, especially once they learned that he was Danny Phantom—Public Enemy #1—himself. He dreaded their faces, their twin looks of terror once they realized that their precious son was nothing more than a stranger wearing what was essentially their child's breathing corpse.

Maybe he didn't have to tell them that bit just yet. After all, they had no reason to suspect that he was any less human. Sure, he was the Ghost King but if he put a convincing enough spin on his story they might be inclined to believe his gambit.

"I guess I should tell you how it happened. Do you remember that big invasion two years ago? The one where the city was pulled into the Ghost Zone and your Ecto-Skeleton went missing?"

"How could we not? That conniving ghost boy stole it! Three months of work—gone! For all we know, he still has it and is biding his time… waiting for when the city's at its weakest," Dad grumbled.

"Uh, yeah. The Ecto-Skeleton sort of got destroyed. Not that Phantom would attack the city, anyway! He's a pretty good guy and under my reign, none of the ghosts are able to attack our world."

Mom's eyes widened. "That's why there haven't been many attacks over the past few months? Because of you?"

"Almost all ghosts respect my authority. There's the odd few that don't, but I let Phantom take care of them since fighting off ghosts is kind of his 'thing'. Anyway, back to the invasion. Phantom stole your Ecto-Skeleton to fight off the last Ghost King and I followed him."

Mom gripped the edge of the couch, leaving lateral imprints in the shape of her fingers.

"Why? Danny, that's incredibly dangerous! You could have gotten hurt."

Dad suddenly paled. "He—he did get hurt! Vlad found him unconscious outside of the Ghost Shield. Remember, Mads?"

"Oh, yeah. But I'm fine now! Don't worry! So, the suit drained Phantom of most of his energy and there was no one left to finish off Pariah Dark—the last king—so I got in the suit and did it myself. I know it was stupid, but Phantom did most of the heavy lifting and after his efforts, I couldn't just let an evil ghost destroy the city! I locked him back in his sarcophagus, which made me the new Ghost King. At the time, neither Phantom or I had known about the ancient rites of conquest and it turns out that whoever deals the final blow becomes successor to the crown."

"And it doesn't matter that you're human? I'd imagine that most ghosts would hate that."

Well, he wasn't wrong there. Even though Danny had proved his worth, there were still many sects that detested a half-human king. Every now and then an assassin tried to bring him into his 'full power', but their attempts were almost pitiful. The last insurgent had tried poisoning one of Danny's chalices of ectoplasm but hadn't taken into account that most 'ghost-poisons' had little effect on a living immune system. Maybe it made him a little drunk, but that was better than the alternative.

"Not everyone's happy with it, but there's not much that they can do now."

"So what do you actually do?" Mom said. "Earlier, that fire purple ghost—"

"The Fright Knight."

"Yeah, the… Fright Knight. He was mentioning other ghosts and places in the Ghost Zone? You don't actually _go_ to the Ghost Zone, right? Surely we'd notice if you were gone all the time."

His parents noticed a lot less than they thought, but now was not the time to say that aloud.

"I do. I can... get other ghosts to escort me around, yeah! That's how I navigate the Ghost Zone. When I'm there, I spend most of the time in my palace doing boring legal stuff. Like, I cannot stress to you how painful it is for me to just sit there and approve of every little article and treaty. Though, sometimes I visit other places and exploring ghost society is pretty fun."

"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with you traveling around a dangerous ghost world as you please. What if they try to hurt you?"

"Mom, I practically _own_ the Ghost Zone. They can't hurt me there—I have power over them."

"Yes, but you were able to hurt the last king! What if they try to usurp you!"

"If I can't fight them off myself, then I have loyal followers that'll protect me. Pariah Dark didn't have many supporters because he was out of his mind, even for a ghost. It's all good."

Dad shifted his weight on the couch. "What do you mean you have power over the ghosts? Is it just status, or do you actually have powers?"

This… was an uncomfortable territory. His parents couldn't know about his actual ghost powers otherwise they'd want to run tests on him. Hell, they might run tests on him anyway. That only left showing them his royal artifacts, which were so ridiculous he didn't _want_ to show them. Still, if he was coming clean about his life as the Ghost King he would have to show them sometime.

"Kind of. The Ghost King is supposed to wear the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage. The crown is supposed to give me absolute authority over ghosts and the ring is supposed to give me absolute power, but the ring doesn't work as well since I'm only human."

Danny shut his eyes and lightly probed at his core. It'd taken a lot of practice, but he could summon any accessories from his ghost form to his human form and vice versa. It was like pin-pointing parts of himself to morph rather than making a full, sweeping transformation. Finally, something in his core gave in and he felt the Ring of Rage wrap around his hand and the airy chill of the Crown of Fire settle around his temples.

The crown's name was a total misnomer; since Danny had a cold core, it manifested icy rather than hot. In a way, the cold around his head was comforting. Some parts of his palace felt stuffy, especially on his elevated throne. Even though it still appeared as green flames to the naked eye, the crown was a nice way to keep cool.

Meanwhile, the green-plated ring that had once been inscribed with Pariah Dark's cross-skull crest was now branded with Phantom's emblem instead. It wasn't that noticeable at a glance, but it was in his best interest to keep it out of his parents' sight. The last thing he wanted was for them to make the connection.

He cocked his head forward so that they would focus on the crown instead. "Ta-da!"

" _Damn_." Dad whistled.

Mom swiftly elbowed him in the ribs. "How does that work? How did you just make them—" she waved her hands around, struggling for words, "—appear!"

"Some kind of mental link. I don't really think about it."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Honestly, there's a lot of things that could bother me but I've learned to live and let go."

If he dwelled on every wild thing that happened to him, he'd never be able to function. Not that he functioned well in the first place.

"That's a good philosophy, son!"

"It sounds like something Jazz would say… Wait, does she know about this?" Mom asked.

"Uh…"

"Oh my God, you told your sister before telling us."

He shook his head, vehemently. "I never told her, she figured it out on her own!"

"And _she_ didn't tell us?"

"Well, I sort of asked her not to? Really, it's not that I trust you guys—I just wanted to pretend like it wasn't a thing. I don't want it to take over every aspect of my life."

He echoed the lies he'd told them earlier, hoping that they wouldn't see through the cracks in his veneer. That he had been afraid and that he was still afraid because they didn't know everything. That he wouldn't _let_ them know everything.

Mom pursed her lips. "It isn't like her to keep something this big, though. She's dead awful at keeping secrets."

"Just two days ago you swore that _I_ couldn't keep a secret either."

Dad chuckled. "I think you just got played, Mads."

"You're not supposed to laugh, Jack!"

"Oh come on, you can't help but admit that this entire thing is ridiculous. We thought both our children were _so_ transparent but it turns out that we were blind the entire time!"

At the word transparent, Danny couldn't help but laugh too. Dad's word choice couldn't be more spot on! Before he knew it, he'd fallen into a fit of hysterics. Could this situation be any more ironic?

" _Daniel James_ , stop that! This isn't funny!"

Now that he thought about it, this was such a stupid way for all his lies to unravel. He'd been meticulous, cautious. He always transformed out of sight of others and took painstaking measures to ensure that his parents' equipment wouldn't target him. He carefully set up alibis with his friends whenever he needed to slip away to the Ghost Zone and orchestrated distractions so that his parents wouldn't notice his absences. After all his hard work, it had all been undone by the Fright Knight! The fucking _Fright Knight_ of all people!

That was _hilarious!_

"Danny, I'm serious!"

When he caught his Mom's eye, his breath hitched in his throat. She _was_ serious. Her eyes were stormy, murderous even. He'd seen that look before. The last time she'd worn it he had been Phantom, pressed against a grimy alley wall. Her gun had been inches from his cranium, so close that he could hear the wheeze of each individual component of the weapon. She'd said something along the lines of how she anticipated removing him from Amity Park once and for all, that his days of terrorization were over. He couldn't remember how he escaped, it had to have been over a year or two ago, but that look was forever burned into the back of his eyelids.

"I'm—I'm sorry. It all came over me at once."

She sighed. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's just that I'm trying to wrap my mind around this _._ My son is ghost royalty! Who else can say that?"

"If it makes you uncomfortable, we don't ever have to talk about it," he offered. "You can just ignore me."

"What? Danny that's ridiculous, you don't have to keep a part of yourself hidden from us anymore. You're our son. We _love_ you."

"It may be pretty out there, but it's not like we're ashamed of you. If anything, I'm proud!" Dad beamed.

"So you're okay with me spending my weekends doing ghost stuff in the Ghost Zone and having ghosts randomly appear around me?"

There was a pause. Neither of his parents spoke and for a moment, Danny suspected that they might bar him from ever going to the Ghost Zone again. Earlier, Mom had been rather shaken that he was visiting the other dimension at all. They had good reason to believe that it was dangerous and weren't wrong; even though he was the ruler of the Ghost Zone, that didn't mean it was a very _gentle_ environment.

"As long as you're okay with it," Mom finally said. "Though, if ghosts start interrupting you at school I don't know how we'd handle that."

"It shouldn't be that big of a problem. But uh, thanks for understanding."

Dad nodded. "Of course, Danno. You know, if anything, we want to understand more about all this. Do you think that we could ever tag along to uh, your palace?"

He hadn't expected that question so soon, but he had expected it. There was no way his ghost-hunting parents weren't going to capitalize on the fact that their son ruled over ghosts. Hopefully, they kept their requests reasonable and didn't ask him to help _capture_ any of his subjects for live experimentation. The thought alone made him shudder. He swore on his own core that he would protect all of his subjects no matter the expense, there was no way he would just surrender them to his parents on a silver platter.

Still, the fact that they were willing to visit the Ghost Zone itself was a start. Maybe this would work in his favor; if he could persuade them that ghosts weren't mindless compilations of protoplasm then maybe he could come clean about Phantom.

"Maybe not right away, but I can try to clear a day to show you around."

"Should we bring the gas masks?" he asked.

The idea of his parents wandering his palace in goddamn gas masks was comical in theory, but he could see a thousand ways it could go off the rails.

"Uh, the air is fine. There's not really a need for it."

"Really?" Mom sounded nonplussed. "We ran the probability, and the chances that the air was full of toxic ectoplasmic gas was nearly eighty percent. How fascinating that it's non-lethal!"

"I'm pretty sure that it's just air."

"Still, this will be so interesting," she leaned into Dad. "Won't it, honey?"

"You bet, Mads! Just let us know when you're ready, son!"

Their enthusiasm was sweet if not a little overwhelming.

"It's really not that exciting, I promise."

"Oh, you're just saying that… _Mr. Ghost King._ "

He blushed. "No. Don't… don't call me that. It sounds _wrong_ when you say it."

"What should I call you then? Lord of Ghosts? Ghost _Master_?" Dad's telltale shit-eating grin was relentless.

Danny threw his face in his hands, accidentally brushing his palms against the frigid base of his crown. He'd forgotten that he was wearing it and the realization only expedited his humiliation.

"Stop, you're killing me, Dad…"

"Monarch of Specters?" Mom suggested. "Ruler of the Dead?"

"Not you too!"

Despite his half-hearted protests, his parents continued to rattle off alternate titles for his kingship, and for the first time in a while, Danny felt like everything might just be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for GothMoth's Phic Phight Prompt: Maddie and Jack discover their son is the Ghost King but still don’t know he’s Phantom.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny takes his parents to the royal ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for DannyMay2020 Days 19 and 24, Doors and Mask.

Danny was more nervous than he would care to admit. Sure, this was the fourth royal ball under his rule, but there was so much that could go wrong. Between his staff's insistence that he open the ball with a speech, the difficulties he'd already encountered with catering (seriously, how _hard_ was it to serve purified ectoplasm?), and the strict dress code Lady Feiyan had taken upon herself to set... he was not feeling at all confident.

To make matters worse, it was going to be his parents' first endeavor into the Ghost Zone. He'd coached them as best he could on what _not_ to do during the ball, but they could be dense sometimes. The last thing he needed was for them to insult one of his ambassadors and throw the entire party into turmoil. Or _worse_ … find out that he was Phantom.

Still, he'd made it through tougher situations. He just had to stay on top of things before they inevitably spiraled out of control. That wouldn't be too hard, right? After all, Jazz said everything would be fine! He prayed to the Ancients that she was right for once.

With minutes to spare, he managed to corral his parents into the Specter Speeder. They'd been a bit put off that he knew how to drive it—especially since he didn't even have a learner's permit—but he'd played it off.

"I don't always have time for a ghost to escort me around the Ghost Zone. So, I figured out how to drive it myself. It's about as easy as my space shuttle games—"

"Those are still _games_ , Danny," Mom reminded him.

"Yeah, but I've never crashed it, have I? You've never even noticed I've used it. So clearly, I know what I'm doing."

"He's got a point there," Dad pointed out. "Take it away, Danno!"

Mom's eyes widened. "Wait, let me buckle—"

Once they'd all found a seat, Danny slammed on the brakes. Initially, he'd wanted to take his time flying to his palace to give his parents a better look at the Ghost Zone before the ball, but they were short on time. He'd planned to leave half-an-hour earlier, but his parents had spent so long getting ready that it was essentially the eleventh hour. He couldn't blame them for fretting so much since he'd been the one to drive up their anxiety in the first place. He'd ranted about Lady Feiyan's stupid dress code five too many times and now his parents were convinced that they had to dress to the nines. In reality, the dress code wasn't _that_ important—Danny just found it so ridiculous that it was impossible not to rant about.

Mom was dressed in a dark blue, chiffon dress that stopped above her ankles with black flats. Her hair was put into an up-do and for the half-life of him Danny couldn't figure out how she managed to pin up such short hair— _but it worked_. To top it off, she had a black masquerade mask—compliant with the dress code—that curved over her nose and loosely framed her indigo eyes.

Dad, on the other hand, wore his finest and only suit. He'd had to get it dry cleaned after Vlad had dirtied it at the college reunion all those years ago, but it still fit him quite well. His navy tie complemented Mom's dress and his mask was nearly identical disregarding the size. It was jarring to see him outside of his HAZMAT suit considering he wore it everywhere. Sometimes Danny was even convinced that it was melded into his skin like his own suit was in ghost form.

Alas, it was a welcome change to see Dad all dressed up with Mom. Maybe he could convince one of the ghosts to take a picture of all three of them before the night was over. Not that they could show anyone, of course. Danny was dressed in his stupid royal garb, which was really just his fleece cape, ring, and crown. Normally he'd wear them over his HAZMAT suit but since he was attending the ball in his human form he was donning a plain white dress shirt and black slacks. Of course, since it was a masquerade ball—which was another of Lady Feiyan's ideas—he had a minimalist green mask that didn't distract from his crown.

"Do you really have to go so fast, sweetie?" Mom asked. Danny had just taken a sharp turn to dodge a floating island, which in retrospect it would've been okay to fly straight through it since he was human at the moment. Still, he was expected to make the opening remarks soon and it wasn't like they could start the royal ball without the Ghost King himself.

"Sorry, but we're _really_ short on time. If you guys want to sightsee, I'm sure I can take it slow on the way back."

"If we're not too tired from partying!" Dad nudged Mom in the ribs. For a moment, Danny's mind wandered somewhere beyond his consent and wondered if it was too late to fully die.

Mom pursed her lips. "How long do these things usually last?"

"I don't really keep track of time. It's never really easy in the Ghost Zone, but I'd say anywhere between three to six hours?"

"That isn't too long! Back in college, Vladdie and I would go to these frat parties and—"

"Dad, _please_ stop there."

The last thing he needed tonight was to be thinking about _Vlad_ , who was fortunately banned from ever setting foot into Danny's palace and consorting with any members of the royal staff. Back when Danny was first named as Ghost Prince, Vlad had lost his shit and had attempted to seize the Ring of Rage and manipulate the Fright Knight. Upon learning that Danny was heir to the throne, the Fright Knight quickly switched sides and teamed up with Danny to take Vlad down. It'd been a bitter victory but Vlad hadn't tried anything since. However, Danny couldn't help but wonder if his trust in the knight was misplaced after the incident in his kitchen. For the time being, he was on royal probation and demoted as Danny's advisor until he proved that he could be trusted not to blow his secret.

Soon enough, Danny parked the speeder right outside of his palace. Some of the guards seemed a bit alarmed, as did some of the guests pouring through the main entrance, but he waved them off through the windshield. Before throwing open the doors and entering the palace, he turned to his parents for one last run-through of what they'd practiced.

"Alright, what are three things you _never_ ask a ghost? Go!"

"How they died!" Dad burst.

"What their obsession is," Mom added.

He nodded. "And?"

They both thought for a moment before Mom broke the silence.

"How powerful they are?"

"Yep! Now, what are you not supposed to _do_ during the ball?"

"Drink the ectoplasm, announce that we're ghost hunters—"

"Go through any doors, talk with the Box Ghost—"

"Don't ask questions about Phantom, don't do the Macarena—"

"Avoid any and all ancient politics, especially Caesar—"

" _And never audibly make a wish,"_ his parents finished in sync.

"Alright, I think you guys are ready. Now," he held open the door to the Specter Speeder, "let's get this party started."

* * *

As soon as they passed through the threshold of the main hall, Danny was whisked away by some of his guards, and Maddie and Jack were left alone. Maddie was a bit put off by her son's abrupt departure but decided not to dwell on it in lieu of taking in the lively scene before her.

The dull exterior of the palace paled in comparison to its grandiose interior. It almost reminded her of castles that she'd read about in fantasy books, with ceilings so high that you could only look up and find darkness. There were hand-carved pillars decorated with skulls and iridescent drapes that appeared to catch the light of nearby ghostly auras.

Across the throng of ghosts donning masks similar to her own, there was a massive throne made from some kind of glossy black material—obsidian?—and suspended on a platform nearly ten feet above the floor. Maddie couldn't see how sitting on that could ever be comfortable, but Danny had once mentioned off-handedly that he'd made a few 'modifications' to make it much more tolerable. Maybe he'd fitted a cushion to it that blended in with the throne? She'd have to ask him later.

The ghosts themselves were much more varied and jubilant than she had anticipated. Maddie had expected to encounter the standard humanoid ghosts that had once invaded Amity Park, but many of the ghosts were far from humanoid at all! Among the crowd, she could pick out yetis donning blue kilts and headdresses that disappeared into their tufts of white fur. Meanwhile, three seven-tailed kitsunes—each brown with white coats—chased each other above the crowd. Maddie could faintly make out wreaths of red flowers and ribbon hanging from their necks.

What was _really_ interesting was that each respective group wore some kind of mask, respective to their own culture. And to think that only a month ago Maddie had dismissed the idea of ghosts having the intellectual capacity to form separate cultures! Ultimately, she was grateful that she had learned Danny's secret and that he'd set her straight. The last month had been difficult in more ways than one, but Danny had taken the time to debunk each and every one of her misconceptions about ghosts. Now that she was actually here, in the midst of it all, she wondered how she had once been so ignorant.

"It's breathtaking," Jack marveled.

" _It really is._ "

Near the front of the hall, someone played a trumpet. The crowd surged forward and Maddie did her best to stay by Jack's side in the chaos. Some of the ghosts took to the air to get a better view of the throne, which helped clear the floor and give Maddie a better vantage of the platform where her son was now standing. There was a tangible air of confusion among the ghosts when Danny waved, but it immediately dissipated once he cleared his throat.

"Ghosts and Ghouls, Spirits and Souls… I welcome you tonight to the tri-annual royal ball. Among others, I would like to thank Lady Feiyan of the Imperial Province for organizing this event and for all her hard work ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Uh, we have refreshments along either side of the hall so make sure to sample some of the ectoplasm. We also have a great assortment of musicians, including by _much_ popular demand, popstar Ember McLain." If Maddie hadn't known better, he'd just rolled his eyes—but she was much too far away to tell for sure. "Feel free to mingle with some strangers and just have an all-around good time. Thanks!"

He stepped off the edge of the platform and Maddie had to stifle a gasp. Rather than careening to the floor, Danny easily drifted down with a grace only reserved for ghosts. She'd suspected that the physics in the Ghost Zone were inherently different from Earth's, but seeing it in action was a whole other phenomenon. Was the force of gravity less here? From what Danny exhibited, that was the only solution. However, it didn't _feel_ any different than it did on Earth to Maddie. Maybe the offset in the force of gravity was subtle enough that she didn't feel it when walking, or maybe the force itself was inconsistent! That went against _everything_ in the textbook world of physics. Oh, this visit was already revolutionary!

Behind her, someone coughed. She turned and found a humanoid ghost with mint skin and chalk-white hair. They were wearing some sort of red patterned pantsuit, which only clashed with their green complexion. When Maddie found their face, she had to do a double-take. Like everyone else, they had a masquerade mask... except theirs was fit for a face with four eyes.

"Excuse me, are you the King's _human_ parents?"

She exchanged a glance with Jack who was just as baffled. "Yes?"

"Oh, excellent! I've never met any humans—this is just so fascinating! I'm Xerin, you could call me a bit of a bio-enthusiast. Humans shake hands, yes?"

They held out both their hands to Jack and Maddie at once. Reluctantly, she accepted the ghost's cold grip and released.

"Wow, your hands are both so warm! I've heard that humans are warm-blooded, but it never occurred to me exactly what that meant. Is it true that your blood is regulated by your circulatory system?"

She didn't know what to make of this ghost. Their interest in humans wasn't exactly _flattering_ , but in a sense she figured it was ironic. She and Jack were very much interested in ghosts the same way that Xerin was allured by humans. Who would've thought?

"Yes!" she shot them a smile. "Our hearts pump blood through our veins. In a sense, our hearts are similar to how your core would maintain ectoplasmic circulation."

"You know, Mads and I would be happy to answer your questions about humans if you answer some of ours about ghosts," Jack offered.

Xerin's eyes widened. " _Really_? Oh, that would be great!"

"Well, we _are_ biology experts on top of our ghost research."

Jack laughed. "I think that's a little considerate, honey. _You're_ the biology expert, I'm just a guy with a knack for engineering."

They talked with Xerin for quite some time. Maddie learned that unlike most ghosts she'd previously encountered, they had been born in the Ghost Zone which made it difficult to visit the human world without destabilizing. Ghosts that had died with an anchor in the human world—a corpse, she assumed—could cross between the worlds with ease. Of course, there were always loopholes for ghosts without anchors to stay energized in the human world. Sometimes ghosts would prey on emotional energy or artificially charge themselves with ectoplasm, but most preferred to stay in the Ghost Zone.

Xerin themself longed to visit the human world one day but had no means to keep themselves stabilized. Hmm… maybe she and Jack could invent some kind of device that energized born-ghosts _just_ enough to stay stable. Although, it would be catastrophic if something like that fell into the wrong hands.

"So is it true that the human world has—what is the word? Oceans?"

"Oh yeah," Jack said, "oceans actually make up most of the Earth."

"And—and you travel the oceans by boats? Water vehicles?"

"Well, you can. These days when most people want to travel across the ocean quickly they go by plane, but boats are still pretty common. Have you ever heard of a cruise?"

As Jack explained the mechanics of different types of water-travel, Maddie allowed herself to glance around the hall. Many of the other ghosts were conversing and dancing. Up on the platform where Danny had made the opening remarks, a band was playing what sounded like traditional folk music.

Along the opposite wall, ghosts lingered near the refreshments table. She spotted Danny tagging along with a group of humanoid ghosts. They didn't seem particularly starstruck by him like the other guests, so perhaps they were friends of his? One ghost—a slender man in purple robes—passed Danny a chalice of ectoplasm. At first, she saw Danny politely refuse the drink. When the ghost continued to insist, Danny shot a fleeting look over his shoulder and accepted the chalice. His friends raised their own chalices to him and Maddie watched in horror as Danny downed the entire glass of ectoplasm. _Pure ectoplasm!_ What was he thinking? It would burn through his body faster than any acid! He needed his stomach pumped and _now_!

Before she could think, Maddie threw herself into the crowd of ghosts to try and reach her son. Behind her, she heard Jack call her name. As tempting as it was to fill him in, she didn't have any time to lose. By the time she made it across the hall to the refreshments table, Danny and the group of ghosts had vanished back into the crowd. He could be anywhere by now. What if he fell in the middle of the floor and—and—

Stop. Focus, Maddie.

 _Why_ did he drink the ectoplasm? He knew it was poisonous, he warned her as much! Maybe he had reason to believe that it wouldn't be poisonous for him because he's the Ghost King? Maybe the properties of his crown and ring protected him from poisoning! But why would he _want_ to drink it? It's not like it would taste good to a human!

Now that she thought about it, it was unlikely that he was in any _real_ danger. He was the King—if he showed any indication of being hurt, the ghosts would drop everything to help him. Well, at least she hoped. Still, that alone didn't change matters.

Maddie wanted answers and she wanted them _now_.

She spun on her heels and entered the crowd once again. It shouldn't be _so_ hard to find Danny among all these ghosts, right? He was wearing a glowing _crown_ for fuck's sake!

She spent five minutes scouring the main hall for Danny when she caught a glimpse of a green masquerade mask in her peripheral vision. The figure slipped into a side corridor before she could get a proper look, but she had a _gut_ feeling. Maddie broke into a run and called his name. Her pleas didn't do her much good since they were easily drowned out by the current singer, a blue-haired ghost who had once posed as a popstar in the human world.

Finally, Maddie reached the corridor and stepped through the threshold. It was dimmer than the main hall due to the lack of ghostly auras, but she could still see quite well. The walls were lined with green torches and purple drapes, which were less impressive than the ones in the hall but still stunning. Every twenty feet or so, there would be an ironclad door… which spelled bad news for Maddie.

The corridor stretched out so far that there was no way the figure had made it to the end before she entered, so the figure—if it was Danny—had entered one of the doors. The first problem was that there was no telling which door it had been; the second problem was that one of Danny's _only_ rules had been not to go through any palace doors. But if she wanted to find her son, she'd _have_ to make that sacrifice. After all, he'd already broken one of his own rules by drinking ectoplasm in the first place! Fair was fair.

(At least she told herself.)

Maddie took a steadying breath and approached the first door on her right. It was a regular iron door, definitely not one that she'd find out of the ordinary if she approached it in the human world. Well, maybe a little considering that it was _iron_. There was a slim chance that there was anyone behind this door, but she didn't let that quell her hope. She wrapped her hand around the handle and _pushed._

The hinges of the door creaked as it swung inwards. From what she could tell, the room behind the door was some kind of storage room because there were artifacts nested on shelves and tables as far as the eye could see. Hesitantly, she stepped through the door to get a better look at the room, to see if Danny was somewhere beyond one of the shelves. In retrospect, she should have just called out and waited for an answer because as soon as she let go of the door, it slammed shut behind her. And for some goddamn reason, the ghosts that had designed this place had the audacity to forget to include a handle on _both_ sides of the door.

She was trapped in this room.

It wasn't like this was undeserved. After all, Danny _had_ warned her not to open any doors and now she was stuck. Just great! How knew how long it would be before she was found? The last time Jack had seen her, she'd run off into the crowd with no explanation! And she still didn't even know where Danny was!

Ugh, could this situation get any worse?

She turned to the nearest shelf of artifacts to see if there was anything that might be able to open the door. A crowbar would be _really_ handy right now. Then again, this was a millennia-old palace full of ghostly apparatuses and the chances of finding a crowbar in this room were next to none. In her search, Maddie found what looked like an old sundial, several scrolls of parchment, and a Rubik's Cube of all things. There were other objects, peculiar ones that she couldn't put words to and decidedly ignored them. She'd seen enough horror movies to know that playing with mysterious instruments never worked in anyone's favor.

Ultimately, what caught her eye was a grand tapestry that spanned the length of a full wall. Upon closer inspection she realized that it depicted _Phantom_ of all ghosts, which was odd within itself because Danny had insisted on his behalf that Phantom was a young ghost—not older than three-years-dead. That was about all that Danny had told her about Phantom, besides that he was a good ghost and that it'd be best for everyone if she avoided discussing him at all. Apparently, he had a very controversial reputation in the Ghost Zone, and even mentioning him could throw the ball into pandemonium. She figured any ghost that barred its own kind from the human world wouldn't be very popular among other ghosts.

So it was curious that this tapestry appeared to depict Phantom fighting what appeared to be a faceless shadow ghost. She traced her thumb along the silver and black embroidery and looked from side to side. From what she could tell the tapestry appeared to be some sort of timeline of Phantom's accomplishments. Intrigued, she followed the tapestry to the beginning…

The first picture depicted a young boy entering a tunnel. Below the image, there was a short inscription that read _'_ _the bridge between worlds'_ —a portal, perhaps? Maddie moved on to the next picture in the series. It showed the black-haired boy being electrocuted—blue strands of thread ripping through his body and jetting upwards. The same image showed him stepping away from the tunnel as a ghost, as Phantom. This time, the inscription below read _'_ _halfa-born'_.

Had Phantom died in a portal? That couldn't be right… Danny had said he was no more than three-years-dead. _She_ had finished her portal three years ago. Was this suggesting that Phantom had died in their portal? If so… who could he possibly…?

On closer inspection, the boy in the portal had both black hair _and_ blue eyes. The pieces fell into place and suddenly her brain filled with static.

Danny _wasn't_ a ghost. Surely, this was nothing more than a coincidence, wasn't it? She'd seen him bleed, eat, and grow! Those were all human nuances that ghosts physically couldn't emulate!

Maddie shook the thoughts from her head. She was being ridiculous, surely the tapestry would show that Phantom and Danny were two separate people. So, she turned to the next image in the series.

Phantom stood in a fighting stance, wielding two ectoblasts in each fist. Furthermore, twin halos were encircling both his upper torso and waist. Between the two rings, the weaver had stitched what appeared to be a human heart, captioned _'_ _a foot in both worlds'_.

Well, that did little to dissuade her gnawing theory that Danny was Phantom. She bit the inside of her cheek and tried not to think about it because if she thought about it, she would only convince herself that it was true. It _couldn't_ be true. She'd hunted Phantom, she'd sworn to impress inhumane forms of torture on Phantom! He couldn't be—couldn't...

Pull yourself together. This is madness! The tapestry is just figurative, isn't it? The caption _'_ _a foot in both worlds'_ was hinting Phantom's loyalty to the human world.

Right.

_Just figurative._

She looked on and saw that the next series of pictures depicted Phantom battling a wide range of foes. Among these pictures was the first picture she had spotted of him combating the shadow ghost. The progression of images eventually led to his battle with the former Ghost King, Pariah Dark. Danny had told her about the ghost's valiant effort against his predecessor and how he'd stepped in at the last moment to deal the final blow. Contrary to this, the tapestry omitted Danny's involvement in the fight at all. Or so she thought...

Once Phantom had locked Pariah Dark away in his sarcophagus, the picture detailed him falling to his knees. The next picture revealed Danny in his place, wearing both the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage.

Below the picture, the inscription read, _'_ _The Rise of King Phantom'_.

Maddie stepped away from the tapestry.

That confirmed it, didn't it?

Danny was Phantom. Not only had he lied about becoming the Ghost King, but he'd also lied about becoming a ghost! Some kind of half-human, half-ghost _thing_!

She hadn't even realized that she was crying until she felt the tears well up inside her masquerade mask. Disgusted, she discarded the mask and left it on the floor.

She was such a fool! An idiot! She'd _actually_ believed that the Ghost Zone would allow her human son to become their ruler!

How was she supposed to feel about this? Was she supposed to accept that her son wasn't wholly human anymore? She wanted this to be reversible, but how would she essentially un-kill him? He'd _changed_ in the portal whether she liked it or not.

She was hiccuping now. God, what a mess she was.

At some point she fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands. Call her melodramatic, but she didn't know how to process this. What she'd _done._ Crying was the most cathartic action she could take, being trapped in a room like this.

It must have been ten minutes until she heard the door open. By then, her sobs had died down considerably if not completely. Still, her face was streaked with tears and there was no way she could pretend she _hadn't_ been crying.

"Mom? Is that you?"

She felt the air evaporate from her lungs.

"D—Danny?"

He sighed. "One of the guards told me that he saw someone run down this corridor, but I was really hoping it hadn't been you. What's up?"

She turned and met his eyes. He was still wearing his fleece cape, ring, crown, and mask. For a moment, he appeared taken aback by her disheveled appearance before regaining his composure. He quietly joined her on the floor, blind to the damn tapestry behind him.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head. What if he hated her for knowing? What if this was the final fissure in their relationship? What if he rightfully blamed her for all that she had said and done to him as Phantom?

"Nothing's wrong."

He carefully placed his hand on her shoulder. She noted that unlike Xerin's hand, his hand was warm. _Alive. Human._

But he was a ghost.

"Did one of the ghosts say something to upset you?" he asked. "Was this too much? We go home if you want."

"No, that's not it. I—" she choked. "I'm okay. I just got trapped in here. I was, uh, looking for a bathroom?"

As an adept liar himself, Danny saw right through her charade. Of course he would.

"Mom, you can trust me. Does this have anything to do with why you were calling my name in the hall earlier?"

"You heard that?"

"No. One of my friends did, though. They told me and I've been looking for you since."

That didn't leave her much room to lie. He'd figure out she knew sooner or later and it wasn't like she could put off this confrontation forever.

She clenched her fists and released. Breathe in. Breathe out.

" _I-know-that-you're-Phantom_ ," she blurted.

Behind his mask, she saw his eyes widen. "What?"

"I—I saw you drink ectoplasm. Back at the refreshments table, with those ghosts. I tried going after you, but then you left and so then I looked in her and—and I found _that."_ She pointed to the tapestry. "After everything, I didn't want to believe it, but it's the only thing that makes sense."

He looked behind him and visibly blanched. "I—I can explain."

"What is there to explain? You were shocked in the portal and now you're 'halfa-born', whatever that means. You didn't tell us because of all the cruel things we did and said and fuck—! I'm such an _awful_ mother. I thought it was bad enough when I didn't notice that you were the Ghost King, but this too? How do you stand me? It—it was _my_ portal that did this," she realized. "All I've ever done is hurt you."

Just like that she was crying again. Before she could react, Danny pulled her into a hug and whispered assurances that he didn't blame her. It was stupid. _She_ should be the one comforting him! He was the one who had suffered! She was supposed to be the parent!

"... I _like_ being like this. I don't blame you for anything, you didn't know. And yeah, maybe I was scared and—and sometimes you took it too far. But this past you've changed so much of your ideologies for me. That's all I've ever wanted, Mom."

"Stop," she tried pushing him away. "Stop, Danny. You don't deserve this burden, you shouldn't have to hold me like I'm the victim. You were hurt so much and I didn't even see."

Danny, being her wonderful stubborn child, didn't let her break the embrace. "Yeah, but this is a shock for you. I've had a month to get used to the idea that you might find out. Not that I wanted you to, but… you're allowed to be upset. I uh, expected you to be more upset that I've been lying about being half-dead for like three years."

On some level she was mad. At the moment, her anger was submissive to her despair—she couldn't help but feel miserable in light of what she'd learned.

"I'll be mad later. I can't handle it right now."

"Oh, okay." He finally released his hug and rubbed the back of his neck. "Would it help if I showed you?"

She blinked the tears from her eyes. "Show me?"

"Y'know. My uh, transformation. Phantom."

"Oh. If that's something you want to do?"

He offered her his hand and they stood up together. He took a step back and held his arms straight at his sides. Just as depicted in the tapestry, a halo appeared around his waist and split. His dress shirt and slacks were replaced by Phantom's signature HAZMAT suit while his cape remained the same. His hair was bleached white and through his mask his eyes burned bright green. Though, she had the impression that the transformation didn't go _quite_ according to plan. Immature as it was, she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.

Danny crossed his arms. "What? Not as impressive as you expected?"

"Not that, sweetie." She leaned forward and ruffled his now wispy, white hair. It felt like a cloud. "It's your mask."

"My mask?"

He slipped the mask from his face and turned it over in his hands. During his transformation, the light-green masquerade mask had been dyed hot-pink. He groaned in a very Danny-like way and pushed the mask back onto the bridge of his nose.

"I forgot that happens."

He scrunched his eyes shut and the halo appeared again below his chin. It passed over the mask, changing it back to green.

"That's better," he decided. "Now it matches my crown _and_ my eyes."

"I don't know, you looked pretty dashing in pink."

Despite his mask, she could see a hint of green blush.

" _Mom._ "

"Though, for the King I guess you're always handsome."

"Stop it!" he huffed. "I can't believe I transform for you and all you do is compliment me. That's so gross!"

"Too bad. You've kept this secret for three years, I think I've earned the right to embarrass you."

He opened his mouth and then closed it again. "That's fair, I guess."

"So what now?"

"We could go back to the ball if you want? If not, I could probably find Dad and we can call it a night."

She was definitely overwhelmed. The reality that Danny was Phantom was still processing and she wasn't sure that she could handle facing all those ghosts. It wasn't like there wouldn't be another ball, there would be another in just four months. Still, Maddie Fenton wasn't one to just run away. Maybe it wasn't healthy or wise to stay, but she'd stopped crying. Hell, she was _joking_ with Danny. Her mental breakdown was inevitable, but if she played her cards just right she might be able to postpone it long enough to enjoy the rest of the night.

"I think I'm okay to go back."

"You sure?"

She couldn't blame him for sounding skeptical.

"No." She crouched down and picked up her own mask from the floor. "But I _want_ to."

"Really, there isn't any pressure—"

" _Daniel James._ I want to go back to the ball and I want to spend the night mingling with ghosts. We can talk about all of this later, but I don't want to ruin what I've looked forward to for a month. So," she held out her hand, "dance with your mother."

He snorted. "That sounded really weird."

"What? Is the half-ghost Ghost King too _proud_ to dance with his human mother?"

"I didn't say that. But _fine._ "

He accepted her hand to dance. She was a bit startled at how cold it was now when only minutes before it'd been warm.

"So uh, what are we going to tell Dad?"

Oh right. _Jack._

She'd left him in the main hall with Xerin. How was she supposed to explain that she'd trapped herself in a room and accidentally learned that their son was half-ghost? What kind of conversation starter would _that_ take?

"I'm sure we'll figure it out later."

With that, she and Danny phased through the wall.

For all her trouble, her son owed her a dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also on [Tumblr](https://wastefulreverie.tumblr.com/)!


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